A Day for the Dollar
by Amy LaniganFriday, October 23rd, 2009
The dollar is making a comeback. I don’t mean in international currency. I’m talking virtual chocolate cake, garden growing and accountability. Two mind racing ideas from last week:
1. Inside Network and Serious Business released a report projecting U.S. virtual goods to hit $1B this year. It’s a twist on nothing for something driven by Facebook apps like Farmville – which gained a mind bending 18M users in the last month to hit 51M monthly uniques.
Or the goods can be as simple as a $1 virtual birthday gift. Adding $1 seems to make it mean more than when it’s free.
[From an ecommerce perspective: What are you selling that people would want in a virtual form? Or where could we be selling it?]
2. Seth Godin proposed that CraigsList should implement a dollar fee for all postings. The idea being that the transaction makes the poster accountable. Lose the anonymity and drop the scamming, dodgey, dirtbags (um my words not his). I love this idea. As Wired reemphasized in August , Craig doesn’t want the money. So give it to a different non-profit every day.
Craigslist has equated free with anonymity, backed by value if you trust the specific sellers you encounter. The $1 proposal equates an ecommerce transaction with trust and ability to trace. Infusing ecommerce adds the human element to keep us all honest.
So is this the end of free? Not exactly. Free can still be an essential introduction, a surprise and delight element and a try before you buy tactic.
My two cents? These ideas challenge us to consider whether a dollar can add value – to be confident enough to even consider whether what we may give away for free is worth something more.
My left over $.98 (plus a penny I just picked up) is going to iTunes.
Cheers,
Amy
